118 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



north pier 500 feet, practically demolished the old breakwater, and 

 constructed a new breakwater 1100 feet further down the tideway. 

 The result is that the south breakwater now in existence is outside 

 the estuary as previously defined. Considerable argument has arisen 

 as to whether or not the estuary should or should not be shifted with 

 the extension of the works, but as no powers exist for the creation 

 of a new bye-law which would redefine the estuary, the interpreta- 

 tion remains as it was before the extension of the works. This being 

 the case, the Harbour Commissioners, being, as has already been said, 

 extensive salmon fishers in the neighbourhood, set three bag-nets on 

 the south breakwater. These nets have the benefit of the break- 

 water as a kind of leader, which cannot be removed during the 

 weekly close time, and have, perhaps naturally enough, excited the 

 criticism of the upper heritors. If one wishes to obtain a good view 

 of a salmon bag-net extended for fishing, there is no better place that 

 I know of than this south breakwater. 



The question of pollution at Aberdeen had become a very serious 

 question a few years ago. The District Fishery Board, the mill- 

 owners, and the Aberdeen District Committee of the County Council, 

 and others attempted to arrive at some joint scheme by which puri- 

 fication could be secured. After prolonged negotiations and con- 

 siderable disappointment, a solution of the difficulty was arrived at 

 in quite another way. An immense sewer was constructed in such a 

 manner that the Aberdeen pollutions were carried below the river 

 Dee, across the neck of land southwards to the Bay of Nigg (where 

 the marine laboratories and hatcheries of the Fishery Board for 

 Scotland are situated), and along the shore line to the Girdle Ness, 

 the most easterly point just south of Aberdeen, and the mouth of 

 the river. This has been a great work, occupying several years in 

 completion, but now seems to result in giving every satisfaction. 



The water supply of Aberdeen is taken from the Dee about 

 twenty miles up proposals are at present being canvassed for an 

 additional supply from a much more distant source and the river 

 above this point may be regarded as quite pure. Villages of the 

 lower reaches discharge a certain amount of impurity into the river, 

 and at Culter large paper works have been repeatedly complained 

 against. Taken all over, however, the Dee cannot be said to be a 

 seriously polluted river. If the views of some proprietors in the 

 upper waters, that a decline is really going on, should prove to be 

 correct, and there is no gainsaying the fact that the recent totals 

 have not approached those of " the eighties," the cause of this decline 



